In 1983, the City of San Diego Mayor formed a downtown homelessness task force to better understand the needs of people living on the streets and created a set of strategies. By 1985, a broader regional task force was created to implement these strategies in partnership with the County of San Diego and the United Way of San Diego County. During the late 1980’s and early 90’s, local homeless services organizations were applying to HUD for homeless assistance funds, and by 1998, this regional consortium formalized into the Regional Continuum of Care Council (RCCC). The RTFH would soon support the annual consolidated funding application to HUD for the RCCC, serve as the regions’ administer of a homeless data system, and support the coordination of an annual homeless census.

The RTFH officially gained 501c(3) status and became its own non-profit organization in 2004 tasked as the HMIS lead, NOFA collaborative applicant, and PIT Count organizer. The adoption of the federal HEARTH Act in 2009 and the Continuum of Care (CoC) Interim Rule in 2011 altered the direction of the RTFH and the CoC. The community enhanced its homelessness response with federal requirements of a diverse representation on a CoC Board and early activities around developing a Coordinated Entry System with efforts such as San Diego 100K Homes.

By 2012, the region consolidated two HUD CoC’s for the City and County of San Diego into one larger regional CoC to include all of San Diego County. The first CoC Governance Board was seated in 2013, replacing the former RCCC. Then in 2017, the CoC Board assumed the role as the RTFH non-profit board to best operationalize CoC duties and helping to lead a collective impact framework for ending homelessness in San Diego.

Today the RTFH administers many of the core federal requirements such as serving as the collaborative applicant to HUD, administering the HMIS, conducting an annual PITC, and also serves as a funder, regional convener, promoter of best practices, and policy leader in San Diego’s collective efforts to end homelessness.